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Married to Murder
Clean Sweep
On the morning of December 30, 1978, in Littleton, Colorado, Robert Spangler lured his wife Nancy into the basement with the promise of a "surprise." He then shot her in the head with a .38 handgun. Going upstairs, he shot his teenage children, Susan and David. David was slow in dying, so his father finished him off by smothering him with a pillow.
Cover Up
Spangler had cunningly framed the crime scene, making it appear that his wife had shot their children and then herself. Now he was free to marry his new love, Sharon Cooper. A former high school athlete, he hiked the Grand Canyon with Sharon, who chronicled the trip in a book dedicated to her "soul mate," Spangler. But their happiness was short-lived. The marriage ended in a costly, messy divorce.
Confession
In April, 1993, when Spangler's third marriage to 59-year-old aerobics instructor Donna Sundling went sour, he took her hiking in the Grand Canyon and pushed her off a 140-foot drop to her death. In 1994, when ex-wife Sharon committed suicide, Spangler became the focus of intense police scrutiny. Wracked with brain cancer, he told all to investigators in the fall of 2000, detailing his shocking serial saga—the story of a two-time widower. . . and a four-time killer.
On the morning of December 30, 1978, in Littleton, Colorado, Robert Spangler lured his wife Nancy into the basement with the promise of a "surprise." He then shot her in the head with a .38 handgun. Going upstairs, he shot his teenage children, Susan and David. David was slow in dying, so his father finished him off by smothering him with a pillow.
Cover Up
Spangler had cunningly framed the crime scene, making it appear that his wife had shot their children and then herself. Now he was free to marry his new love, Sharon Cooper. A former high school athlete, he hiked the Grand Canyon with Sharon, who chronicled the trip in a book dedicated to her "soul mate," Spangler. But their happiness was short-lived. The marriage ended in a costly, messy divorce.
Confession
In April, 1993, when Spangler's third marriage to 59-year-old aerobics instructor Donna Sundling went sour, he took her hiking in the Grand Canyon and pushed her off a 140-foot drop to her death. In 1994, when ex-wife Sharon committed suicide, Spangler became the focus of intense police scrutiny. Wracked with brain cancer, he told all to investigators in the fall of 2000, detailing his shocking serial saga—the story of a two-time widower. . . and a four-time killer.
283 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2004
131 people are currently reading
237 people want to read
About the author
Robert Scott
46 books52 followersRobert Scott was an investigative journalist and crime expert.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 12, 2024
Robert Spangler was born in Iowa in 1933. He married his first wife, Nancy, in 1955. The couple had two children, David and Susan. In 1978, Nancy, David, and Susan were found shot to death in their home. The deaths were assumed to be a murder suicide. Spangler married again, this time to his mistress, Sharon. They were divorced inside of ten years. Spangler married again in 1990, this time to Donna. They began having marital problems almost immediately, not a shock considering how he treated his other two wives. Despite their serious issues, Donna agreed to go on a hike with him...alone...in the woods. Lo and behold she suffers a fatal fall. The investigation into Donna's death opened the doors to investigate the previous deaths of his first wife and children. This was a wild case, and it was featured on Dateline. If you are interested in the Dateline reading list, this book is on it. It is amazing what people thing they will get away with scott free.
August 26, 2018
Interesting story, but the writing made it hard to get through. Lots of events were not described in temporal order, and often something was said only to be repeated with slightly different wording within the next page, paragraph, or even in the next sentence.
August 21, 2017
Not my favorite book about a serial killer.
Bob Spangler didn't really give much insight as to what led him to kill his family. He didn't express having dark thoughts. He just seemed like a privileged guy who realized it would be easy to get rid of annoyances in his life and start over.
With most serial killers we have family history to look back on for explanation but no one knows anything about his real parents.
His adoptive parents seem to have given him a loving home so maybe Bob Spangler was just made wrong.
Bob Spangler didn't really give much insight as to what led him to kill his family. He didn't express having dark thoughts. He just seemed like a privileged guy who realized it would be easy to get rid of annoyances in his life and start over.
With most serial killers we have family history to look back on for explanation but no one knows anything about his real parents.
His adoptive parents seem to have given him a loving home so maybe Bob Spangler was just made wrong.
July 29, 2015
I absolutely loved this book. Could not and did not put it down.. It was well written, easy to understand, and I just really enjoyed it. Not so much legal jargon and that's the way I like these true crimes. More about the people.. Good read....
April 14, 2015
I would have given this book two stars, but the Colorado locations made it slightly more interesting to me as a resident of that state.
May 26, 2017
Scary to think there ate people this evil walking around.. Good book.
May 23, 2018
A riveting book about an absolutely heartless and soulless man who almost got away with 5 murders.
June 9, 2017
The story of cold blooded murder at its coldest.
I've read a lot of true crime books over the years, but Bob Spangler has to rank near the top of the list of coldest murderers. He murdered two of his wives (maybe three) and his two teenage children. And a couple other deaths are very suspicious.
This was a well-written true crime that kept me interested to the end. The only fault I could find was that parts of the story seemed to be repeated. My thoughts as I finished the book: Thankful for skilled interrogators who uncovered the truth; Glad justice prevailed, but sorry it took so long; Not buying the excuse that being adopted had anything to do with the actions of this cold blooded murderer; It's time for me to take a breather from true crime books for a while!
I've read a lot of true crime books over the years, but Bob Spangler has to rank near the top of the list of coldest murderers. He murdered two of his wives (maybe three) and his two teenage children. And a couple other deaths are very suspicious.
This was a well-written true crime that kept me interested to the end. The only fault I could find was that parts of the story seemed to be repeated. My thoughts as I finished the book: Thankful for skilled interrogators who uncovered the truth; Glad justice prevailed, but sorry it took so long; Not buying the excuse that being adopted had anything to do with the actions of this cold blooded murderer; It's time for me to take a breather from true crime books for a while!
May 24, 2017
This is probably one
of Scott's better written books. It kept me interested, read it all the way through without stopping, which to my way of reviewing, a definite plus. What a horrible creature, can't call Spangler human as it's an insult to the rest of our race. A man with zero conscience, something definitely wrong in the gene pool. When comparing to nature vs nurture, one can only assume the chip on his shoulder from being adopted, along with his ego and competitiveness with his adoptive father, had a lot to do with his psyche, so we're left with his nature, a selfish, disgusting chameleon.
of Scott's better written books. It kept me interested, read it all the way through without stopping, which to my way of reviewing, a definite plus. What a horrible creature, can't call Spangler human as it's an insult to the rest of our race. A man with zero conscience, something definitely wrong in the gene pool. When comparing to nature vs nurture, one can only assume the chip on his shoulder from being adopted, along with his ego and competitiveness with his adoptive father, had a lot to do with his psyche, so we're left with his nature, a selfish, disgusting chameleon.
May 27, 2017
Exceptional read
I had no idea what to expect from this book upon purchase but it is a story that pulled me in from the first sentence. Robert Scott did an exceptional job telling the story of Robert Spangler & his many victims. I recommend this book to all lovers of True Crime books. You will not be disappointed!
I had no idea what to expect from this book upon purchase but it is a story that pulled me in from the first sentence. Robert Scott did an exceptional job telling the story of Robert Spangler & his many victims. I recommend this book to all lovers of True Crime books. You will not be disappointed!
July 26, 2017
I just shook all over when I read that Bob Spangler preferred murder over divorce. Chilling that he killed not just one wife but three! It was a good book, although the author covered some of the details more than once.
May 23, 2017
Very good read.
Very good read. Easy and kept your attention throughout! This book was informative and hit all the main points without unnecessary details or opinions.
Very good read. Easy and kept your attention throughout! This book was informative and hit all the main points without unnecessary details or opinions.
February 13, 2018
So detail oriented, it drug on forever.
June 30, 2019
Writing was so bad....Thankful that I finally finished it...dreaded reading.
July 8, 2023
Repetitive.
July 26, 2023
I couldn't even finish this book. So repetitive and just a yawn fest.
September 22, 2017
I burned through this book in only a few days, reading between calls at work. It was wonderfully chilling, making me wonder about what goes on beneath the surface of my neighbors. This book portrayed that "neighbor you'd always hoped you had". He was polite, funny, engaging, and made a great impression with just about everyone- and he was a cold-blooded murderer. It was a fantastic documentation of facts, presented in a way that always kept the reader engaged.
9/10, would recommend!
9/10, would recommend!
May 9, 2020
Maybe not the most well written.......but after having read over 1200 true crime books by at least 100 non-fiction authors, certainly not written as badly as some other reviewers profess. (Believe me, I have come across some REALLY terrible authors who, for some unexplained reason, have reached acclaim).
Robert Spangler is right up there at the top on the list of monster serial killers. He possesses the classic narcissistic, egomaniacal, sociopathic disorder - totally devoid of any human conscience, empathy, guilt, remorse or compassion. Spanger's only concern in his life is his "own" selfish, greedy wants and concerns. I believe Robert Scott, the author, paints the picture of Bob Spangler quite well while maintaining a cohesive and interesting story line, including bringing to life the women whom he brutally murdered.
Personally my only problem in reading this book was trying to get through the book before the "borrow period" ran out. I did, so much, want to see this to the end where, hopefully, Spangler either "fries" or is sentenced to prison for the rest of his life - the SOB has already gotten by for way too many years after murdering his first wife......AND HIS TWO TEENAGE CHILDREN!.
Robert Spangler is right up there at the top on the list of monster serial killers. He possesses the classic narcissistic, egomaniacal, sociopathic disorder - totally devoid of any human conscience, empathy, guilt, remorse or compassion. Spanger's only concern in his life is his "own" selfish, greedy wants and concerns. I believe Robert Scott, the author, paints the picture of Bob Spangler quite well while maintaining a cohesive and interesting story line, including bringing to life the women whom he brutally murdered.
Personally my only problem in reading this book was trying to get through the book before the "borrow period" ran out. I did, so much, want to see this to the end where, hopefully, Spangler either "fries" or is sentenced to prison for the rest of his life - the SOB has already gotten by for way too many years after murdering his first wife......AND HIS TWO TEENAGE CHILDREN!.
September 19, 2016
A really good book
June 13, 2015
Multi-Faceted & Deep Exploration- One of the Best You'll Read
From the colorful sweeping descriptions of the Grand Canyon to the intricate examination into the mind of a murderer, Robert Scott's MARRIED TO MURDER is one of the best true crime books I have read, and I have read many. Deeply satisfying, this book will take you on a multi-faceted journey. By your journey's end, you will know what makes this murderer tick. Oddly juxtaposed, but essential to the story and to Bob Spangler, is the scope and the sweep and the beauty of our nation's beloved Grand Canyon. Do not miss this trek.
From the colorful sweeping descriptions of the Grand Canyon to the intricate examination into the mind of a murderer, Robert Scott's MARRIED TO MURDER is one of the best true crime books I have read, and I have read many. Deeply satisfying, this book will take you on a multi-faceted journey. By your journey's end, you will know what makes this murderer tick. Oddly juxtaposed, but essential to the story and to Bob Spangler, is the scope and the sweep and the beauty of our nation's beloved Grand Canyon. Do not miss this trek.
August 8, 2015
Evil man vs. Naive Women
Was he born evil? He thought because he was adopted was the reason for his evil activities. He was a man who only loved himself
. When he got tired of his first wife and 2 teenagers, he killed them, setting the scene to look like his wife had done the deed. He chose murder over a divorce so that he could be with his lover. Later he divorced her, but probably had a hand in her death too. Then his third wife had a tragic ending to her life, she " fell" while hiking with him in the Grand Canyon. How can a man be so unlucky in love?
. It is easy when you are Evil.
Was he born evil? He thought because he was adopted was the reason for his evil activities. He was a man who only loved himself
. When he got tired of his first wife and 2 teenagers, he killed them, setting the scene to look like his wife had done the deed. He chose murder over a divorce so that he could be with his lover. Later he divorced her, but probably had a hand in her death too. Then his third wife had a tragic ending to her life, she " fell" while hiking with him in the Grand Canyon. How can a man be so unlucky in love?
. It is easy when you are Evil.
September 15, 2008
I lived around the corner from this man and the family he murdered. I was in 6th grade when that murder occurred. At the time, the night after it happened, we didn't know if there was a murderer stalking the neighborhood or what. I remember being absolutely terrified. The book was rather clinical and would have been terribly boring had I not felt some sort of connection to the events.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews